Short Take: Up All Night, Watching Apple.com, n/t

As a recent convert to
the Mac side of the universe, one thing is for sure: PC users never showed
this much love for their platform.

With all of the buzz about
Apple and MacWorld Expo, everyone is rallying in support for their platform
in many ways. We are all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what is to
come from Cupertino, and you know what? This is the most fun Iive ever had
with anything dealing with computers. I mean, how many times do you see, on
some PC message board, some guy saying that he heard from his cousinis sisteris
best friendis baby-sitter who is married to someone whose brother works for
someone who knows a guy from some PC company and that they will be releasing
a new color for their T-shirt lineup - causing mass histeria at the [insert
said computer companyis name here]extreme.com message boards?

1/2/2002, 9:48 p.m. All is well?
Judging from the various message boards around the "Mac Web," I wonit
be alone tonight.

When I should be cranking out an Access database for work tomorrow, Iim instead
sitting here drinking beer and watching Apple.com, in hopes that I will see
what the next message is from On High. I wonit be alone because thereis a chance
that several other Mac geeks have the same thought.

The Mac web is feeding more frenzied than usual, with Appleis latest successful
attempt to whip the acolytes into throes of self-flagellating homage.

Refreshing my browser display of Apple.com. Nope, no change?

1/2/2002 10:19 p.m. No change?
You already know about the last three days of teaseful messages on Appleis home
page, promising us, swearing to us -- no, guaranteeing that there has been no
product introduction like the one the world will witness on January 7.

Part of me yawns, because Iim still store about the iPod being hyped as a breakthrough
digital device. Excuse me? Hell, yeah, I bought one! Hey, Iim quick to forgive.
Apple is like that bad boyfriend that girls love to hate. But, there is always
hope that we will finally fulfill those dreams long deferred:

Apple can unveil an OS X-laden PDA (Iid sell my Visor Prism that I just
bought last week).

Apple can make the G4 the entry-level process, hence, a G4 iBook (Iid sell
my iBook that I bought just two weeks ago).

Apple could unveil something to replace the Cube, packed with the features
-- and the price -- that weid line up to pay (Iid sell my first-generation
Cube, not to mention my left you-know-what).

Apple could do all of the above and still announce some iProduct, some merger,
some acquisition that will bring the Mac one step closer to the world domination
weive predicted since 1984.

Refresh. Hmmm? no change.

1/2/2002 11:43 p.m. Same as before?
Regardless of what happens on Monday morning, I think most of us will be spending
January 7 and 8 cheering, bragging and lusting after whatever is announced.
This is what being a Mac user is all about. Actually, there is more than that?

Thereis something rebellious about our computing choice. We honestly believe
that the Mac is better. The Mac is elegant; the Mac is intuitive; the Mac is
fun. We always talk about what the Mac is. For me, Iim looking forward to the
MACWORLD Expo and future Apple gadgetry mainly because of what the Mac platform
is not. It is not Microsoft. It is unPC. It doesnit blend in. It doesnit conform
to whatis dictated by the boss, by the government, by the computing establishment.

Weire watching the web as though weire looking heavenward because it points
to the next stage in the rebellion, phase two of the revolution, Plan B in the
debunking of the "The Matrix." Weire awaiting January 7 for Steve
Jobs to tell everyone, once again, that "there is no spoon." In a
way, the Mac is our righteous cause, counter stream against what the rest of
the world thinks is the future.

Rodney O. Lain doesnit have a life. He wastes his evenings and weekends trolling message boards and AIM sessions. When he thinks about it -- which isnit often -- he takes a bath and eats a Tic-Tac, then writes his iBrotha
column for The Mac Observer, as well as the occasional editorial. Rodney lives
in Minnesota, where he is an IT supervisor for The Man at a Fortune 50 company.